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Frei: Time for Avalanche's Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny to step up

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi tries to defend Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene during the first period on Tuesday at the Pepsi Center. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

After the Avalanche's morning skate, Matt Duchene nodded at the dry-erase board at the end of the locker room.

"Our lineup went up this morning, and he's not on it," Duchene said. "Obviously, we'd like to have him, but we're moving forward."

"He," of course, is Ryan O'Reilly, who but for a bewildering contractual impasse also would have opened his fourth home season with the Avalanche in the 3-1, come-from-behind victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night.

The puck has been dropped, and O'Reilly still is in Russia, apparently awaiting the get-thee-to-Denver message from his agent, Mark Guy ... if it ever comes.

While that plays out, the question is: So where does it leave the Avs? And the answer is: wanting and expecting elite play from Duchene, 22, and Paul Stastny, 27, their top two centers.

Against the defending Stanley Cup champs Tuesday, Duchene and Stastny each had an assist as the Avalanche scored all its goals in the third period. That followed pointless nights for both in the season-opening loss at Minnesota on Saturday. To his credit, Duchene logged over 22 minutes of ice time against Los Angeles despite getting nailed in the chin by a Drew Doughty shot and missing a couple of shifts.

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If Duchene seems a bit perturbed at times with the repetitive emphasis on O'Reilly's absence, it's understandable. He and O'Reilly are from the same 2009 draft class, with Duchene going third overall, O'Reilly 33rd. After a rough third season, because of injuries, diminished production and tenancy in Joe Sacco's doghouse, Duchene accepted a two-year deal that will get him within two seasons of unrestricted free agency.

And at least he's here, back at center after spending parts of last season on the left wing. If there's an upside to the O'Reilly absence, it might be the incentive for Duchene to show that, left at center, he can live up to the promise he showed in his first two seasons with the Avalanche, when he was considered a superstar in the making.

Duchene and O'Reilly are friends. This isn't a feud, and I'm not trying to create one. Duchene called O'Reilly "a great player and a great teammate." Because they are different players, they can be complementary, rather than skating at cross-purposes.

Colorado Avalanche center Paul Stastny faces off with Los Angeles Kings center Mike Richards during the first period on Tuesday. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)

O'Reilly has carved out a deserved reputation as a terrific all-around center — from faceoffs, to penalty-killing, to checking prowess and now chipping in at the offensive end — but the trick is to sustain it. In fact, it would be good for the Avalanche if Stastny and Duchene "help" O'Reilly to become known as a prototype for one of the NHL's most valuable roles — the third-line, defensive-minded versatile center who can contribute offensively. In this sport, "third" doesn't have to be belittling, but a compliment. It wasn't a good sign that O'Reilly, with a modest 18 goals and 55 points, led the Avalanche in scoring last season.

The Denver Post's Adrian Dater and Mike Chambers post analysis, notes, video, chats and more on this blog focusing on the Colorado Avalanche.

Duchene's new-found focus on nutrition and conditioning is part of his strategy for this belated, truncated season. "I want to have a bounce-back year," he said.

Sacco's mandate to Duchene is to improve away from the puck and not be a defensive liability, especially when he's playing center.

Stastny, meanwhile, must come closer to living up to his contract, a five-year, $33 million deal negotiated by former general manager Francois Giguere that runs through next season. As it nears its completion, the reasonable consensus is that Stastny is a solid, two-way player who can be his own worst enemy because of overpassing and unselfishness.

"I put pressure on myself," Stastny said. "Sometimes last year, I was playing more with that in mind than I was playing for myself and my teammates. At the end of the year, I just let loose and had fun. I started playing better, I started being myself. This year, I'm not going to let it worry me, and I have to play my game."

That even might mean more often heeding the imploration that often comes from the stands: Shoot!

"I have to realize that sometimes you have the best shot at scoring or creating a rebound and a goal," Stastny said. "You have to keep the goalie and the D-man guessing. You can't be just a passer."

If O'Reilly's absence, however long it lasts, prods Duchene and Stastny into realizations that can carry over after the "other" center returns, it might not be all bad for the Avalanche.

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